Winter of Content

I love winter. I know it’s not technically winter here in this part of Australia just yet, but this week the weather has finally gone all grey and misty, wet and windy, enabling us to get all warm and cosy. ‘Warm and cosy’ is a new favourite saying in this house, because whenever we say it Pebble shrugs her shoulders up, gives and little smile and hugs herself a tiny bit. Sixteen month old cuteness. What’s that? Why, yes! Pebble is 16 months old now. I’ve only just realised that for about a week and a half I’ve been running around telling everyone about my very clever 15 month old, when in fact, she is actually a whole 16 months old. At this early stage of the game every month makes such a different. Sometimes a day is all the difference.

Some more of Pebble’s favourite things right now include:

• picking up millipedes and giving them to the nearest adult with a proud expression on her face
• lifting adults (especially mum and dad) by their shoulders and or pushing their bums off seats in order to then manoeuvre said adults into the required position, usually at the back door or nearest exit.
• throwing tantrums when mum or dad (usually mum) refuse to let the 16 month old out of the house and into the freezing, wet, wintery weather.
• throwing tantrums generally. Big end-of-the-world tantrums. Tantrums and real “I’m hurt” or I’m tired tears are very hard to differentiate. All will elicit long breath-holding, red faced, screwed up expression and real fat tears, with woeful moaning. I’m learning to ignore the tantrums and comfort only the pain. Slowly.
• gasping in delight and amazement at everything from a lovely fat crayon, to the sun in the sky, to a bird on our roof, to a leaf on the ground, to - well, you get the idea. Everything in this world is a wonder to this little Pebble.
• copying sounds and actions with even more detail. This week Grandad and Charlotte performed a dancing number together with a stomp-stomp, turn-around, jump on the ground sequence. Perfectly synchronised too. I wish I’d gotten the video camera out!
• Unpacking the Tupperware cupboard. Every day.
• cosying up in mum and dad’s bed, putting her finger to her lips (or nose – close enough) and saying ‘sssssss’ (otherwise known as ‘shhhhhhh’), then hiding herself under the covers before triumphantly revealing herself once again. This never gets old, for either of us.
• counting everything in. Warming up a bottle? Count down! Sliding down a slippery dip? Count down! Running across the lawn? Count down! She does her own version of ‘1, 2, 3’, which involves silently nodding her head for each number and showing fingers on one hand.

Oh, I could go on forever. Really, I could!

In other news, you may have noticed a little more of Pebble showing up on the blog these days. I read a really interesting article about mummy blogging and privacy and I guess I’m slowing figuring out how I feel about things and what makes me comfortable. Take a read of what Mamamia has to say about things – this article says it best.